Hannover Fair 2005 in motion

Latest developments in motors, drives, and motion control usually surround visitors to Hannover Fair’s multiple shows.

By Control Engineering Staff

05/26/2005

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Latest developments in motors, drives, and motion control usually surround visitors to Hannover Fair’s multiple shows. This year was no exception, with “Motion, Drive & Automation” being one of the featured shows in nine exhibition halls. More detail about the variety of motion control and drives products "seen and heard" at the fair, along with links to additional information, follow. Companies include ABB, AMK Arnold Müller, Animatics, Baldor Electric, Bosch Rexroth, Control Techniques, E-Drive System, KB Electronics, Lenze, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric/Berger Lahr, and WEG Electric.

Among a wide range of process, power, and automation technologies on exhibit, ABB introduced a low-harmonics model for its ACS800 line of ac drives. ACS800-37 low-voltage drive has reportedly been designed for total harmonic distortion (THD) of under 5% (for current) to meet requirements of IEEE 519 standard. ACS800-37 covers a power range of 55-2,500 kW and operates from various supply voltages (380-415 V, 380-550 V, and 575-690 V). It’s intended to replace 12- and 18- step drives.

Another ABB introduction was IRB 1600 industrial robot, which suits arc welding and other material handling or machine processes with its 7 kg (15.4 lb) payload and April 2005 E-Newsletter .

U.S. company Animatics Corp . showed a higher power model of its ServoStep product that controls a step motor like a servo motor. The new unit provides continuous torque up to 62.5 lb-in. and targets short, quick triangular-profile moves for positioning applications. Also on display was Animatics’ new RTC 4000 single-axis servo amplifier, which at 150 W power reportedly can be cascaded to obtain higher outputs. RTC 4000 sells for around $500 in OEM quantities.

David Greensmith, product manager for Ethernet Motion Products at Baldor UK Ltd., told Control Engineering that Ethernet Powerlink’s benefits to machine system development include reduced complexity of cabling design, fewer layout tasks, ability to make quick design changes during system development, and simpler startup/commissioning. He also mentioned ability to try out new design ideas “dynamically” via software and seamless linking into local- or wide-area networks as features enabled by Ethernet Powerlink.

Bosch Rexroth AG deployed its broad technologies in areas of motion control, automation systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, and linear motion and assembly systems. Prime product examples included IndraMotion MLC, a controller-based electric motion-control system, and MAC-8 electrohydraulic motion system that accommodates up to 32 hydraulic and electric NC axes in parallel in real-time. Also featured was Bosch Rexroth’s overall control architecture for automation, which unifies system elements from actuators and drives to motion and logic control and to top-level engineering suites.

Among various drive and motion control products, Control Techniques focused its exhibits around new Commander SK ac drive with overall power range of 0.25-4 kW—(0.3-1 hp at 230 V ac, single-phase; 1.5-3 hp at 230 V ac, one- or three-phase; and 0.5-5 hp at 460 V ac, three-phase). Simple, general-purpose Commander SK reportedly comes with performance and flexibility features unusual for its compact size. Control options offered for these drives are open-loop vector, speed or torque control, and speed reference input.

Chinese company E-Drive System Co. Ltd . exhibited its dc coreless motor technology. These dc permanent magnet (PM) servo motors have specially designed windings distinct from traditional dc PM servo motors that use iron-rotor construction. Four motor sizes are presently available in 16, 20, 22, and 28-mm diameters and with more than 30 separate design specifications.

KB Electronics Inc . was an exhibitor in one of three USA Pavilions running at Hannover Fair. The company is a manufacturer of VFDs, programmable relays, variable-speed controls for ac and dc motors, and related equipment. Hannover Fairs USA Inc . manages the USA Pavilions as a vehicle for American firms to exhibit at the fair.

Lenze AG highlighted its single- and multi-axis L-force 9400 servo drives scalable up to 11 kW, which incorporate Ethernet Powerlink motion bus, and its L-force Engineer software that helps ease setup and configuration of the servo drives and associated distributed I/O systems. Also shown was an extended line of gear motors with explosion-protected (ATEX) gearboxes for the 0.12-22 kW (0.16-30 hp) power range. New design reduces package dimensions by eliminating the need for a separate motor coupling. Helical, helical-bevel, or helical-worm type gearing is available for the new gearboxes.

At its Hannover Fair press event, Rockwell Automation mentioned near-future expansion of its Allen-Bradley CompactLogix line, targeting lower end motion-control applications. Implementation will be through a new CompactLogix controller, L45, that uses a standard ASIC chip. One preview spec of the system is 1-millisecond response for 100 motion axes. Also, Rockwell’s Power Systems Div. exhibited its Reliance Electric and Dodge brand of power transmission and motor products in a separate booth at one of the USA Pavilions.

Schneider Electric exhibited a wide technology range, from PLCs to motor drive and protection equipment, to power monitoring and machine-safety systems. In drives, one focus was its new Telemecanique Altivar 71 variable-frequency drive intended for open- and closed-loop control of ac induction motors of 0.37-500 kW rating (at 200-240 V and 380-480 V ac). Altivar includes the latest safety protection functions, for example, a “power removal” feature that prevents unintended motor starting.

Berger Lahr , a Schneider Electric company, showed its motion controllers, power amplifiers, and servo drives “autonomously” in the parent’s stand. One highlight was IclA (integrated closed-loop actuator), a servo-positioning system that combines a brushless dc motor (or step motor), positioning control, power electronics, and feedback into a compact unit.